Liberosis
by Nightrave1726
Summary: Shiori, a hot-tempered medic, gets stuck in the war between Uchiha and Senju. And even though she is stuck helping the injured Uchiha, it's Madara that keeps getting under her skin. (MadaXOc) (AU)
1. Chapter 1

**Liberosis**

She doesn't care.

She just needs to walk by the bleeding boy that is surrounded by six armed men.

She just had to turn away and walk back home, and everything would be okay.

That's all she had to do… and yet…

There she was, running towards the group as if she cared about the predicament at all.

All the group was able to witness was a black-cloaked figure grabbing the wounded boy and in a flash, vanishing before their eyes. _Impossible, _most of the men were thinking, but they had no clue where to begin searching for their victim and his savior. None could have slipped past their defenses and disappeared from them all.

...And yet there they stood, flabbergasted and alone.

oOo

She inwardly hit herself for her foolishness. This war between the clans had nothing to do with her. She had no reason to reveal herself and get involved. Why would she risk her safety for a stranger?

Perhaps it was because of his age. She was shocked to see someone of his youth in the midst of battle. He looked to be around eight or nine. Barely enough to be a boy, let alone a soldier.

Perhaps she found it unfair that he was surrounded by several adult men and wounded, for that matter. Life was not meant to be so short to someone that young or unfair.

But she knew that wasn't the case for these times.

So why did she leap to his rescue? Why was he laying in her make-shift home in the trees with bandages and her beside him taking care of his wounds? She owed nothing to this boy and this life.

Maybe… It was to make herself feel better. That her life had some form of good that came from her existence.

She banished all thoughts from her mind and focused on taking care of him. Her chakra control was superb. The best from her clan that could be produced during such times. Perhaps… she could use _that_ to help the healing process.

The girl laid her hands on the boy's wounds, noticing his uneven breathing and the sweat rolling down his face. He had a fever… and the wound was still bleeding despite the bandages.

She concentrated, her brow furrowing in an effort to stay focused. Her hands began to emit a pale blue light before flickering to green. She felt his skin push against her healing, as if telling her that it didn't need her help. She forced more chakra to her hands to push the skin together by force.

As if by magic, the wound began to close completely. The skin stitched itself together and the bleeding was put to a stop. She sighed, and as she did, the green aura around her hands disappeared. The boy's face relaxed, seeming to have calmed down now.

It had been a couple months since she had used her healing powers. The last time she had used it was when she had fallen down a hill of rocks and scraped her knee. However, the power to heal always came back to her with ease. It was as if she had taught herself how to play an instrument, stopped for a while, and picked it back up.

When had it become natural to her?

The boy would be asleep for a day or so, she noted. While she had healed the wound, his fever still remained. Either way, she had to begin to prepare dinner. That was the reason she was out earlier anyways.

oOo

A couple of days passed before the boy woke up. She was taking care of her garden on the ground below when she heard him call out.

She left her watering for later and ascended up the ladder towards the small, wooden hut perched between two strong trees with one strong branch that grew between them. When she arrived, the boy was sitting up, looking confused and alert. His dark, obsidian eyes landed on her and widened out of fear.

She held a hand up. "I'm not going to harm you," She promised.

The boy stared at her some more. "...You… saved me?" His voice was deeper than she expected. His black hair was wild and thick and fell to his neck but parted in the middle of his forehead.

"I did," She answered, shortly, "I'm surprised you took so long to wake up. Although I suppose it makes sense. That was a nasty cut on your chest."

At the word 'cut', the boy's eyes widened and desperately grabbed at his chest. His eyes were glued to the pale, healed skin. All that was left from the girl's healing was a long scar that looked to be years old.

"Did you… heal me?" He asked as if she couldn't have done it herself.

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Yes, is it that surprising?" She asked.

He could only touch his skin again, as if he was in some illusion.

"I am not capable of genjutsu, I assure you that this is no illusion." She said, sitting down in front of the makeshift mattress she made out of grass. He flexed his fingers before putting his hands together.

"Kai!"

A moment of silence passed by. Nothing happened.

The girl smirked in amusement and only held out one of her hands. The chakra surged into her palm and flickered green. "I told you, I healed you."

"How?" He demanded. For such a young boy, he was quite aggressive.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Can't you just accept that I healed you without an explanation? I haven't even heard you say thank you for saving you."

The boy's cheeks flushed red before he looked down at his lab, fiddling with the blanket she had given him. "...My apologies… T-thank you… for saving me."

She smiled at that. "You're welcome. Are you able to stand or walk?"

He winced as he attempted to stand, only to fall back again. She sighed, "I guess not. Don't worry, it'll probably be another day or so for you to be able to stand properly, let alone walk. I will help you with rehabilitation." The girl stood up again, going to the exit hole she made. "You must be hungry, I'll fetch you something to eat. I caught a rabbit this morning out of luck."

"Wait," He said.

She turned around.

"Why did you help me?" He asked.

For a moment, she stayed silent. She, herself, did not know why she saved him.

"...I don't you rather me leave you to die?"

The boy shook his head, but looked annoyed at the lack of clarity.

"What's your name, kid?" She asked, sitting on the edge of the hole in the floor to get to the ladder.

"...Ginjiro Uchiha…" He said, slowly.

She only scowled, "Uchiha, huh? Damn… I was trying to stay out of this stupid war but I saved an Uchiha."

"You know of my clan?"

"Of course I do," She turned to meet his eyes, "You have been at war with the Senju even before I began to live here."

"What clan do you belong to?" He questioned. He seemed relentless for answers.

"None. I am alone. I have no clan and no association with anyone. Now, Uchiha-san, excuse me while I fetch you some rabbit."

She began to descend the ladder, but he had another question.

"Wait, what is your name?"

He got no answer.


	2. Chapter 2 - Meeting the Father

**Author's Note: **Hello Hello! I wanted to just point out a couple of things before we get started.

Updates will be _**WEEKLY**_. Not daily. I just would like to get the story going.

This world is an AU.

**Chapter 2**

How did it come to this?

All she was doing was watering her plants when suddenly someone appeared behind her and slammed her face into the ground. She let out a gasp for air as her arms were pinned behind her back.

"**Where are you keeping my son?" **The man pinning her down commanded. She couldn't even sputter an answer but she could guess who his son was.

"Tou-san! Don't harm her, she's not a threat!" Ginjiro claimed, sliding down the ladder. It had been a week of rehabilitation and now he could walk and climb like before. Yet he still found trouble running and fighting.

The man's eyes flashed red, his grip on the girl tightening. "Ginjiro, what is the meaning of this?" He demanded.

Ginjiro rushes to his father. "This girl saved me from the Senju and healed me!"

His father looked down on her. "Is this true, girl?"

She scowled, her face still pressed to the dirt. "You're _fucking _welcome." She spat.

His father narrowed his eyes at her, but reluctantly let her go. She coughed, trying to regain her composure as she pushed herself up.

Soon, another figure appeared before the three. Another Uchiha boy, with longer dark hair and age marks under his eyes. He stood taller than Ginjiro, probably because he was older.

"Otou-san," He began, "You have found him."

"Madara-Nii," Ginjiro rushed to his brother and embraced him. Madara slung an arm around his brother.

"Gin… we thought you had died. We were all so worried until we got that falcon messag-"

"_What?" _The girl hissed, glaring daggers at the smaller Uchiha. He gave her a guilty smile.

"Sorry… I couldn't help it." He tried to say, but she simply scowled.

"I don't want your excuses. You have been reunited with your family. Now _leave."_

Ginjiro tried to protest but Madara cut in. "Don't speak to my brother that way." He snapped at her.

She rolled her piercing greyish blue eyes. "I will speak how I want, _Uchiha-sama_. I'm the one who healed the brat and helped him learn how to walk again."

"It's true, Madara-nii, she saved me from the Senju and healed my wound." Ginjiro said, showing his chest scar as proof.

His father's eyes widened. "A scar like that… It wouldn't be healed this quickly."

Ginjiro nodded in agreement. "She healed me. She can heal anything, Tou-san. She saved my life."

The girl's heart sank. She didn't want to spread around the knowledge that she could heal. Especially to more Uchiha, who would probably try to use her for their own personal gain in the war.

"... That's… impossible. And yet… you are alive, Gin." The adult Uchiha shook his head in disbelief before staring at the girl, who was beginning to forget in her spot.

"Girl, what is your name?"

"... I have no wish to tell you." She bit the inside of her cheek, backing away from the Uchihas. However, the man was faster than her.

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him.

"Tou-san!" Ginjiro tried to defend the girl, but Madara was the one who stopped him.

"The only reason I do not kill you where you stand is because you saved my son. But you will have more respect for me, _girl. _Answer my questions or else I will _make _you." The sharingan flashed into his eyes as they bore into hers.

She began to tremble, her teeth clenching together to prevent her from saying anything. She hadn't felt afraid in quite some time, nor did she like it. The girl's eyes narrowed.

"Are you going to kill me, Uchiha-san?" She said, boldly.

He smirked. "No… If you can heal as well as Gin says… I can make better use of you. We are at war, which means we must use any means necessary to win."

"Father plea-" "Do not interrupt me, Madara. I am doing what is best for the clan."

The girl shivered, knowing he was fully capable of kidnapping her if need be. But she hated this feeling. The feeling of helplessness. Betrayal.

"My name is Shiori." She muttered, knowing her situation was hopeless.

"Shiori… Clan name?"

"None. I am alone and associated with no one."

"Hn. What was your purpose for saving my son?"

"I-I just saw him. He needed help so… I just helped him." Shiori was shaking even more now. The brave facade washed away with the realization that she was cornered.

Madara watched as his father questioned the strange girl. He noticed her features. Long, straight auburn hair that reached the small of her back and parted on the right side of her face. Her scared eyes were light blue on the outside and grey around the black pupil. Her skin was fairly pale and her stature was quite skinny with the knee length white dress she wore. He noticed she was much shorter than he was and yet looked like she was around his age.

"Are you trained?"

"No, sir.I'm proficient at chakra control to any point in my body. However I have no offensive or defensive training. I am just a healer."

"Show me your healing abilities. What are the limits?" He demanded.

Shiori bit her bottom lip, looking away from the proud man. He made her feel small and intimidated without even hurting her.

Did she really want to expose herself to the Uchiha? To show her powers would mean to reveal herself to be an asset in the war. She never wanted this. She just wanted to live apart from everyone and this stupid war. But… If she didn't do as he said, he would kill her.

She had no means of escape. There was no way she could outrun the three of them or fight them off. The sinking feeling of dread filled her body as she realized she had no choice. She chose to save the boy, which means she must face the consequences of her actions.

"... I can heal cuts, fractures, broken bones, simple illness, and some poisons are known to me. I cannot heal all poison yet and plague-level illness." She answered.

"You can heal illness?"

"Some… I need to examine first."

That was all the grown Uchiha needed to hear before he grabbed her wrist again. "You are going to come back with us. Struggle, and I will kill you. Try to escape and I will break your legs."

Shiori bristled, her blood running cold. No… This wasn't what she wanted. She would rather die than be kept as this man's prisoner.

"Father," Madara's deep voice cut through the air like a knife. "I demand you stop."

His father's eyes flashed dangerously towards his son. "You defy me, Madara?"

Madara took a brave step forward. "Forcing this girl to heal for us will not provide sufficient results. She has healed Ginjiro, willingly, and he is alive and well. I urge you to be civil with her and not treat her as a prisoner. She is not the enemy. We are in her debt." He was straight to the point with every word, making Shiori's breath hitch.

Hope. He could save her. He could get her out of this situation.

His father dropped Shiori's hand, roughly. "Your mother," He seethed, "Is dying. I do not have time to be civil, _child._"

When Shiori heard this, she realized that this man was not as evil as she believed him to be. Cruel? Of course. But not evil. He was trying to save his wife at any cost like any other husband would. Shiori's heart began to melt for this broken man.

"Uchiha are better than this." Madara said, standing in front of Shiori to his father.

"...Tch." The man turned away. "If your mother dies, it is on you."

He then proceeded to walk into the depths of the forest, not looking back even once.

When he left the premise, Shiori could breathe again. She dropped to her knees and covered her face with her hands.

"Shiori! I'm so sorry! I didn't know he woul-" "It's fine." Shiori interrupted the hysteric Ginjiro. He was on his knees next to her, looking guilty as hell.

She looked towards Madara, "Thank you… For helping me with your father."

"Of course. He has been irrational since mother fell ill… I hope you can forgive him for being like that."

When Shiori got a better look at the teenage boy, she noticed that Madara was quite tall and sturdy for his age. She could only guess though, since she didn't know anything about him. But he was muscular and looked as if he had seen battle many times. His eyes looked lost, like he had no clue where to go from here.

"Well," Shiori sighed, standing up and brushing her legs off.

She didn't have to do this.

This wasn't any of her business, nor did she wish to associate with these people any further. However… There was a pull towards the forest that she couldn't resist.

"Lead me to your mother. I will heal _only _her. If your father tries to imprison me, I will not heal her." She said.

Ginjiro smiled at that, "Y-you'll help my mother? Even after all that?"

Shiori rolled her eyes. "I've been threatened before. Your father might be an ass, but I'm not going to let an innocent woman die because of his arrogance."

"My father isn't-" "I will not take back what I said." She interrupted. "Let me just gather some stuff for the journey."


	3. Chapter 3 - Saving the Mother

**AN: Because of quarantine, I decided to update whenever I wanted. There's no schedule. **

**Chapter 3**

The trip through the forest was shorter than Shiori anticipated. '_Have I always lived so close to the Uchiha?' _She wondered. The journey was mostly silent as well, other than Ginjiro's constant apologies towards the girl.

"I really didn't think that he would react that way," Ginjiro said, bowing his head for the seventh time. "I thought I should let my family know I am not dead-" "Stop apologizing already! It's fine, I understand your perspective on things!" Shiori interrupted, sighing out of annoyance.

"I'm sorry, Shiori-" "If you apologize one more time, I'm going to reopen that wound I healed."

"You will do nothing of the sort." Madara's deep voice cut into their bickering like a blade.

Ginjiro quickly came to her rescue. "Shiori doesn't mean it, Madara-nii! That's her sense of humor."

"Humor is supposed to be funny, isn't it?" Madara said dryly.

Shiori scoffed, "Like the Uchiha have any sense of humor to begin with."

"We have a sense of humor." He said, rolling his eyes. "We're just actually funny and only intellectual minds can understand our humor."

"_Yawn. _You almost put me to sleep with that _sentence. _Do you really expect me to believe you have a humorous bone in your body?" Shiori mocked, copying his eye roll. The taller Uchiha only humphed and turned his back towards her.

"Your brother is very grouchy when he gets proven wrong." Shiori smirked at Ginjiro, who gave her a sheepish smile.

"Madara-nii is just stubborn…" He trailed off as they reached the gates with a big Uchiha flag on the door. Shiori took a sharp breath in, bracing herself for what was to come.

The gates opened and Madar led her through the compound. They passed many curious Uchiha who looked towards her with disdain. Shiori stuck close to Madara and Ginjiro, trying to keep her head down. However, due to her un-Uchiha-like appearance, it was hard to go unnoticed.

Madara noticed her uncomfort easily. '_This girl is so easy to read.' _He thought to himself while watching her fiddle with her long hair in a nervous reaction.

"You don't have to worry. No one is going to harm you while you're with me." He claimed, trying to help calm the girl's nerves.

Shiori snapped out of her nervous state and bristled. "I don't need you to protect me. I'm perfectly capable of handling myself."

"I thought you weren't trained as a ninja." Madara raised an eyebrow towards her.

Shiori crossed her arms, giving him a look of annoyance. "I never said I was. I could outrun anyone here though."

"Oh really." Madara looked her up and down.

"Just because I look helpless, doesn't mean I am."

"It's true, Madara-nii! I've seen her run before and it's crazy how fast she can be!" Ginjiro exclaimed.

Madara looked surprised that his brother came to her rescue so easily, but said nothing more until they reached the medical bay. "This is it. My mother is inside. Do you really think you can help her?"

"Is that a challenge, Uchiha?" Shiori smirked.

He scowled. "You're very full of yourself for someone your age."

"You don't even know my age, I could be older than you."

"Fine, how old are you?"

"None of your business."

Madara flared with annoyance, making Shiori smile. It was the first time the Uchiha had lost his cool since he met her. She knew he was holding some sort of barrier around himself to make him seem more mature. But Ginjiro had explained much about his family and where he came from. So Shiori was well prepared.

Before the Uchiha could start an argument, the curtain opened and there stood their father in all his glory. He wasn't wearing his armor and instead wore a black, cone neck shirt with black leggings. However, he still was just as intimidating as when Shiori met him.

His black eyes glared down towards the girl, making her take an unconscious step back.

"You came." He said in a monotone voice.

"I did," She said, trying to remain calm. "I don't like standing on the sidelines if someone is hurt."

She expected him to be as arrogant and brutal as before, but instead he just stood to the side, moving the curtain open to let her in.

Madara went in first and Shiori took a shaky step forward. Before she could walk in, their father caught her arm.

"Don't try anything." He growled under his breath. "If you make any attempt to harm anyone here, I _**will**_ kill you."

Shiori pulled her arm out of his grasp. "I'm not stupid, Uchiha-san. I know you can kill me with a flick of your finger." She said, walking forwards into the medical bay.

It was smaller than she thought it would be. There were lines of people in beds that were being taken care of by healers in small quarters. She followed Madara, clutching the strap of her bag tightly.

There were people bleeding everywhere she looked. Some were missing arms and legs, others were basically unrecognizable as human. It sent a shiver down her spine and reminded her as to why she stayed away from the war.

Yet here she was.

"She's in the back." Madara said, noticing her uneasiness.

She nodded, following him to the back of the medical bay and through a separate curtain. There lay a long haired woman, covered in blankets and wet towels. Her face was contorted in pain and her breath could be heard from across the room. There was blood on the towels next to her, signifying how ill she was.

"Kaa-san," Madara breathed, going to his mother's side. Ginjiro followed right after him, but it seemed she was unresponsive.

"S-Shiori…" Ginjiro said in a shaky voice. "Y-You can help her… right?"

Shiori's heart clenched in her chest. She rushed to the woman's side and dropped to her knees next to her. She tossed her bag onto the floor and held her hand out towards their mother. Behind her, their father made some sort of threatening advance forward, but she didn't care at this point. She didn't have a lot of time to save this woman. Luckily, she's seen her state before.

"I know what she has." Shiori said, putting her hand on the woman's sweaty, burning forehead. Her hand began to lightly glow green as the girl began her healing process.

"What is it?! Can you heal it?!" Madara said, panicked.

Shiori bit her lip, realizing that the woman's health was dangerously low. Could she heal her?

"I can try. She's very ill, though. If I had treated her earlier it would have been a definite yes. However… She's in critical condition now. I will need time and certain herbs. Ginjiro, I need you to get me gingko, echinacea, and grapeseed. I also need a pot of hot water and towels. I showed you where these plants were in my garden. Do you remember?"

Ginjiro nodded vigorously. "Yes! I'll go now!"

"And I'll get the water and towels." Madara said. Both got up quickly and ran out of the room.

Shiori turned her attention back to the woman laying before her. She chewed the inside of her cheek, using both hands and placing them on her upper chest. She concentrated, her palms glowing green as she began to remove the bacteria eating away at the woman's lungs. She's seen this disease before. No one knew what it was exactly, but she knew how to treat it.

"Uchiha-san, reach into my pack and take out a vial of small blue flowers." She instructed.

The older man did as he was told and handed her the vial. She used her mouth to pop the cork out, not moving her hands an inch away from the woman and not losing a single second of her focus. She used her teeth and mouth to tilt the vial back and into her mouth.

The flowers were bitter, but she chewed and swallowed them quickly without hesitation. She felt chakra rush into her veins, letting her breathe a lot easier while she worked.

"What was that?" The man asked.

"Caryn flower. They help with chakra exhaustion. I can't lose my focus or remove my hands until the boys get back or else she will die in ten minutes. I'm glad I got here in time. She would have been dead by the evening." Shiori said.

The man shifted, looking a bit uncomfortable with the idea of his wife dying.

"I don't have the chakra reserves you do, so those flowers help me continue the healing process without removing my hands. I brought more vials in my bag, so I'd appreciate it if you could hand me some when I need it."

"I will." He said, without hesitation.

Shiori took another breath. She just had to hope Ginjiro would make it in time.

oOo

It took fifty minutes for Ginjiro to rush back into the medical bay, sweating like crazy. Madara had returned earlier with the water and towels.

It took Shiori another thirty to tell the boys what to do with the herbs and another twenty for them to follow her instructions. Finally, the medicine was ready.

Shiori concentrated, guiding the bacteria out of the woman's lungs and out of her mouth and a liquid mess. She held the liquid in her palms that were keeping it steady with chakra.

"Move, I'm dumping it on the ground." She said, having all three men move out of her way. She tossed the bacteria liquid onto the ground and let out a huge sigh. Her hands stopped glowing, letting her wipe the sweat away from her forehead. She took the pot of herb water and helped the unconscious woman sit up. She tilted her head back and poured the water into the woman's mouth, watching to make sure she swallowed it.

Luckily, she did and began to breathe normally.

Her face relaxed in its state and slowly, her eyes began to flutter open.

"Kaa-san!" "Kayo." The Uchihas said in relief.

"Tajima…? What happened? I… can breathe again." She whispered, her voice as soothing as the wind.

"Kaa-san!" Ginjiro cried, tears beginning to stream down his face. He began to cry onto the woman's lap. Tajima grabbed her hand, holding it tight.

Shiori watched the sight in front of her, letting her face form a nice smile. The treatment worked, luckily. It was a gruelling two hours, but the treatment worked. It did take all her vials of Caryn flower to keep her from running out of chakra though…

"Shiori… thank you! Thank you for saving her!" Ginjiro cried, leaping into the girl's arms. She caught him, surprised at his outburst, but held the boy anyways, petting his hair in a soothing fashion.

Tajima watched his son embrace the outsider and cry. He would usually protest against it, but he was so grateful and relieved that Kayo was okay, at this moment, he didn't even care.


	4. Chapter 4 - Arguing with the Brother

**Chapter 4**

"I'll come back tomorrow to check on her. She should be stable now and her recovery should be quick." Shiori said, standing up from her seat on the ground.

"Madara, escort her home." Tajima ordered.

Shiori shook her head and waved her hands in front of her. "It's okay! I know my way back."

"Yes, but it's after dark. I want to ensure your safety home." He said, monotone.

She was surprised to hear that. The Uchiha man never showed concern for her health before.

"I-... Alright." She gave in. She pat Ginjiro's sleeping head, grabbed her bag and turned towards the exit.

"...Thank you… for saving Kayo." She heard the man say quietly behind her. Shiori smiled softly, her heart warming as she walked out of the room with Madara following behind her.

Once they reached the gates, she let her exhaustion show. She was tired and low on chakra, but luckily her home was close by.

"You don't have to walk me home." She said. Madara huffed, walking beside her with a hand on his katana handle.

"Of course I do. You're a girl and walking alone at night is dangerous for a girl."

Shiori rolled her eyes. "I'm not defenseless, I can take care of mysel-" "You said you weren't trained."

"I'm not," She scowled. "But I'm not weak. I can take care of myself and I don't need anyone protecting me."

"I never said you were weak."

"Good, because I'm not. So go back to your family."

"Argh, why are you so stubborn?!" Madara groaned, scratching his head. He rushed in front of her and stood in her way. Shiori stopped, giving him a confused look.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Why are you like that?"

"Like what?"

"Acting like you can't accept any protection from anyone?!" Madara exclaimed. "I don't get it. Everytime I try and help you, you act like I insulted you!"

"You think I'm weak and I can't take care of myself." She said, folding her arms.

"No I don't. You're just putting words in my mouth." He countered.

"By saying I need help or protection says that you don't believe I can handle myself alone. Therefore, you think I'm weak." Shiori bit her tongue after she said that. Why was she even arguing with this boy anyways?

"That's not what I meant at all." He assured her. "Can you handle bandits? Murderers? Trained ninja ready to kill at any time?"

"Yes, I can just run away-"

"What if there's a group?"

"I've done it before! I ran away from several ninja while carrying YOUR brother on my back!"

"Can you guarantee yourself that you'll be able to run away 100% of the time?"

"Yes! I don't need anyone's help or protection!" She yelled, her face burning with anger at the Uchiha's words. Madara got just as mad though.

"Then you are narcissistically delusional!" He spat.

"Coming from an Uchiha that is absolutely _rich." _She seethed, glaring at him and trying to walk around the boy. But he moved in front of her again.

"Uchiha at least can understand the difference between kindness and insults!" He yelled.

"Just. GO!" She screeched, pushing past him and walking her way towards her house a couple meters away. "I'm home! Are you happy now?! Just _leave!"_

Madara's eyes blazed into his sharingan, glaring dangerously at the girl. But she had turned her back to him and climbed her ladder without another word. He growled into the night, scratching his head in fury before running back towards the compound.

Meanwhile, Shiori was back in her home, hugging her knees to her chest on her makeshift mattress. She wiped away her angry tears, hiding her head in her arms. Her mind went back to her darker days, remembering all the times she felt betrayal and pain. It made her heart ache so much she ended up weeping for hours before passing out.

oOo

Madara got back to the compound and slammed his door shut. He was furious. Why was that stupid girl so stubborn and rude?! He was just trying to help her and be a gentleman but _noooooo _she had to take his kindness as an insult! She was so stupid! _**Girls **_were so stupid!

A knock from his door snapped him out of his fury. "Come in." He growled, still pacing the floor.

It was Ginjiro who peeled his head in. "Hey Madara-nii, I just wanted to ask if Shiori got home okay…?"

"She's _fine, _Gin. She's actually more than fine seeing as she can do EVERYTHING by herself!" Madara laughed sarcastically, still angered by the girl's treatment of him.

Ginjiro shuffles forwards and closed to door behind him. "Please don't be too mad at Shiori…" He said softly.

Madara whipped around and glared at his brother. "Why shouldn't I? She's so arrogant and _rude! _I was just trying to help her and she blew up at me!"

Ginjiro shrunk, obviously feeling bad about Madara yelling at him. Madara noticed his brother's reaction and sighed, calming himself down. "I'm sorry, Gin. It's not you, I'm just angry over her-" "Shiori is alone, you know."

Madara raised an eyebrow, surprised at his brother's sentence. Ginjiro cleared his throat and stepped forward a little.

"What I mean is," He started, "While I was with her, I noticed little things… She told me she doesn't have a family anymore. She doesn't really talk about them or what happened, but when I told her about our family, she looked really sad."

Madara's eyes softened as his anger faded to guilt. But he shook his head and regained his composure. "That doesn't give her the right to yell at me like that."

"You're right. Shiori isn't afraid to speak her mind. But… I think it makes sense that she grew up like that." Ginjiro said, looking down and nervously kicking his foot into the air. "She never had anyone to tell her how to act around people. She never had anyone to worry about her or care for her. I asked her how long she's been alone and she said since she was four. She must have been lonely, don't you think?"

Madara thought about it. Ginjiro was right. Shiori must have had a lonely life without people to care for her. The thought of being alone made Madara feel awful, but to be alone since she was four?

"I just say this… because I know she's hard to get along with. It took me a while to begin to understand her too. She yelled at me a lot when I tried to be nice to her and help, but eventually she accepted it. I just wanted to tell you because it'll be like that for you too." Ginjiro said, finally looking back towards Madara again.

Madara sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Thanks for telling me, Gin… You're right. I need to be patient."

Ginjiro smiled brightly, reaching and grabbing his arm. "Come on! Kaa-san is awake! Let's go keep her company!"

oOo

Shiori came back in the morning, much to Madara's surprise.

Her eyes were swollen and red, telling him she had been crying for a while the night before. He felt bad, but put his mask back on and acted indifferent towards the girl.

"Shiori-san, welcome back." He said, bowing his head in respect.

She hesitated, he saw. She didn't say anything and just walked past the boy, gripping her bag tightly. Madara didn't get angry this time. Knowing what he knew now, he knew he needed to give the girl her space.

She went straight to the medical bay, avoiding all eye contact with the Uchiha around her. Madara followed close behind, a bit worried for her mental state. She was much more quiet than the day before.

When she reached his mother, a small smile formed on her pale face. "How are you feeling, Kayo-san?" She asked.

His mother gracefully smiled back towards her, holding a tea cup in her hand. "I'm feeling much better thanks to you, Shiori-chan. Thank you for saving my life."

"Of course, I'm glad I could help." Shiori sat on the chair next to his mother's bed and placed her bag down. She rummaged through the brown bag until she found a vial of red flowers and took it out.

"This will help with your recovery. Because the bacteria in your lungs has eaten away most of the tissue, drinking tea with this flower in it will help your body naturally restore its immune system. I have already healed your lungs from the inside but that doesn't stop you from getting the bacteria again. I suggest drinking this once a day for a week or until you are feeling strong again to take a breath for twenty seconds." Shiori handed his mother the medium sized vile of flowers.

Kati took it and thanked the girl again. Shiori's hand glowed green as she put it to Kayo's forehead.

"Your fever has gone down, which is good." She commented. Shiori retracted her hand and began looking through her bag again. This time, she brought out a small glass jar of white gel.

"This should help with any headaches you have. I made it with the herbs in my garden to reduce any aches to do with head injury. You have to rub it under your nose and breathe it in." She instructed, giving the gel as well to Kayo.

"You're so smart, Shiori-chan!" His mother beamed, "How did you learn so much about the medicinal arts?"

Shiori blushed, "I uh… I was taught by my mom at a young age. After that, I taught myself through scrolls I had found and books about flowers and herbs."

Madara listened, his ears peeking up from the girl's talk about her past. He was intrigued and wished to question her more, but tried to be patient like Ginjiro told him to be.

"Your mother must be proud of you." Kayo said, smiling so brightly towards the auburn haired girl. Shiori blushed darker before looking down at the ground with a sad look in her eyes.

Both Uchihas noticed immediately. "Oh I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?" Kayo said, looking guilty as she covered her mouth with her hand.

Shiori just shook her head and smiled at her. "No no, it's fine! I'm just not used to people saying such nice things to me."

Kayo began to tear up before launching herself at the girl. "Wah! Shiori-chan! You're so kind! I'll say as many nice things to you as possible to make up for everyone else!" She cried.

Shiori began to sputter in embarrassment, unsure how to react in a situation like this with a grown woman hugging her. Madara began to snort at her discomfort and snicker to the side.

Shiori glared at him but rolled her eyes.

The two women talked about many things such as medical herbs and books until Kayo began to yawn.

Once Kayo had fallen asleep, Shiori got up to leave.

"I'm sorry… for yelling at you last night." Madara said, watching her freeze in place at his words.

For a moment, everything was silent. Shiori bit her lip, not really knowing how to speak or react to his apology. To be honest, she felt terrible for losing her cool and lashing out at the Uchiha boy. She didn't know why she was so angry at the thought of him wanting to walk her home. She mainly blamed it on her exhaustion.

"... I'm sorry I screamed at you too." She whispered low enough for Madara to hear.

Before either one of them could react, a sickening scream filled the medical bay.

Shiori and Madara rushed out of the room Kayo was in to witness a man with his eyes gouged out of their sockets, screaming and thrashing on the bed while medics tried to restrain him.

Without hesitation, Shiori ran over to the man with Madara following close behind.

"Hold him! Someone sedate him!" She ordered.

"We are out of sedatives!" A medic, who was searching the basket of supplies, cried out.

Shiori scowled, placing her hands on the man's face. "Listen to me! Stop screaming! I can heal you, but you need to stay still!"

"_It hurts!" _The man screamed, blood falling down his face and staining his cheeks.

"I know it does, but I need you to stay still for me to heal you. Do you understand?" She said, confidently.

The man let out a sob and began to stop his thrashing, but his body still shook out of pain.

"Does anyone have his eyes?"

"We only found one of them on the field!"

"Clean it! One is better than none!" She ordered.

Her hands began to glow green again as she placed it over the left socket of blood that was once his eye.

"I'll try and make this as painless as possible and remove some nerves from your socket so you don't feel as much but I need you to work with me, understand?" She said, focusing her chakra around the nerve endings in the man's eye socket.

"_Y...yes!"_ He cried, gripping the table he laid on tightly.

Shiori took a deep breath and got to work.

Madara watched in amazement as the small girl worked. She would say soothing words to the patient while she closed to wound in his socket. The patient began to calm down, letting her work on his wound with full confidence. He saw how hard she pushed herself and how determined she was to save him. Even if he was a complete stranger, she still tried her best to save him. Madara found her to be admirable and respected her more than any woman he knew.

But he noticed by the time she was finished with one eye, she was exhausted. She was panting and sweating, but still kept going on.

"Shiori… Stop, you're tired." He stated, moving forwards to grab the girl. She swatted his hand away and shook her head.

"Give me the eye. I'm going to do a complete eye transplant." She said.

The medic gave her the man's eye and she set back to work again. She used her chakra to align his eye back to the correct positioning to his socket. She molded the nerves back together and used her chakra to make a cocoon for his wound so it could heal on its own. She attached the nerve endings and stopped the bleeding as if she had done this a thousand times before.

It took an hour at most and when she was done, the patient passed out and she fell to her knees beside him.

Madara rushed forward to catch her, keeping her steady as she panted heavily from exhaustion. Blood covered her hands and her white dress was now stained with red. Her body was limp. She didn't even have the strength to stand.

"Ah… I might… have pushed myself a little.." She breathed, her eyes closing and her body leaning against his for support. The medics rushed to her aid, letting Madara hold her as she slept in his arms.

One sighed. "She's just unconscious from exhaustion." The male medic assured.

Madara sighed with relief, picking her up in his arms. She was surprisingly light, her skin fell cold and her face was peaceful.

"Where should I put her?" He asked.

The medics were looking towards the empty bed at the end, but another voice stepped forward.

"She'll rest in the compound. Madara, take her to the guest room." His father's deep voice instructed.

Madara nodded, rushing towards his house and holding the sleeping girl close.


	5. Chapter 5 - Confession with the Mother

**Chapter 5**

Shiori gasped, shooting up in cold sweat as her eyes scanned the area around her.

Her heart pounded in her chest while her eyes adjusted to the light from the candle next to her bed on a table. She tried to calm herself down, taking a deep breath and counting to ten before letting it go.

When her heart rate slowed down, she began to take in the area around her.

She was in an elegant room, decorated with black sheets and wooden furniture. The bed she laid on was comfortable and soft, which she was not used to. She wiped the sweat away from her brow, moving the silky sheets off her body and putting her feet onto the wooden floor.

The room smelled of musk, which she didn't really mind. She noticed an Uchiha banner standing proud in the corner of the room. It made her sigh, realizing what had happened.

She inwardly smacked herself for pushing herself so hard. Chakra exhaustion was awful to deal with, especially when it came to her reserves. She had barely half the usual reserves most ninja would have. She never knew why, she just assumed it was a birth defect.

Shiori tried to stand, wobbling on her feet and losing her balance. She caught herself on the bed and tried to stand again.

When she regained her balance after the first couple times, she noticed her clothes were different. Her white dress was replaced with a dark blue kimono with an Uchiha symbol on the back. The girl examined herself in the full length mirror next to a dresser.

Her hair was messy, falling down her shoulders and back in tangled curls. There were bags under her eyes that made her look like a walking zombie. She pulled at her cheek, making sure she was completely awake and not in a daze.

The door opened, making her snap out of her thoughts.

Ginjiro stood at the door, smiling brightly with a tray of food in his hands. The smell caused Shiori's stomach to rumble shamelessly.

"Shiori-san! You're awake!" He said, gleefully. He put the tray of food on the dresser and rushed to her side.

"We were all so worried when Madara-nii carried you into the house unconscious!" He exclaimed, hugging the taller girl.

Shiori smiled, patting the boy on the head. "Yeah… I need to remember not to push myself so much with my chakra reserves." She commented.

Ginjiro pouted. "You need to remember not to push yourself in general."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Uh huh. Sure."

"Oh, I forgot! I brought you food!" He said, letting her go to get the tray. Shiori's mouth began to water at the smell of cooked meat and rice. She could barely control herself from devouring the food in front of Ginjiro.

"I hope you like it, Madara-nii cooked the meat, but I cooked the rice!" He said, cheerfully.

Shiori gave him a thank you before taking her chopsticks and digging into the food.

The savory taste of roasted beef melted in her mouth and made the girl smile uncontrollably. This was the first warm meal she's had in a year. Usually, she would eat a salad from her garden or fruit she would find in the forest. She wasn't very good at hunting, so meat was always a treat for her.

"It's delicious!" She grinned, stuffing her face with more meat and rice. Ginjiro smiled even brighter, happy at her praise of the food.

"I'm so glad you like it, Shiori-san!"

"You don't have to use the honorifics, Ginjiro." She commented, chewing more meat in her mouth. She gulped down a sip of water as well.

Ginjiro blushed. "Well… You're my elder and Tou-san said to treat elders with respec-" "Well yeah, but I'm barely older than you. You don't need honorifics around me. Just call me Shiori." She said.

Ginjiro blushed brighter but nodded his small head. "O-Okay, Shiori…"

Shiori chuckled, patting the boy's head.

"So, you're awake."

They both turned, finding Madara and his father standing at the doorway. Shiori quickly swallowed the food in her mouth, trying to adjust her hair to look somewhat normal for more guests.

"I guess another thanks is in order for saving Kazuma's life. Thank you, Shiori-san." Tajima said, bowing his head in light respect.

Shiori blushed, giving a sheepish smile towards him. "It's okay! I'm really glad I could help him. There's no need for thanks."

Tajima only shook his head. "Madara told me of how calm and well executed you were. I must say I am very impressed and I just wanted to… apologize for how I treated you before." The man seemed uncomfortable from the apology, which Shiori noted. Uchiha's seem to be uncomfortable with apologizing for anything. She thought it was kind of funny.

"I accept your apology, Tajima-san." She replied, placing the tray of food on the bed beside her. Tajima gave her a smile before turning and leaving the room.

Madara came forward, wearing a dark blue coned shirt and black leggings with no armor this time. His katana was still on his belt though. Shiori wondered if he ever took it off.

"I'm happy you're okay, Shiori." He said, smiling softly towards her. The age marks under his eyes curled upwards, making his smile so much more genuine than she was used to.

"I'm happy to know you were worried about me, Madara-_kun_." She teased, making a faint blush appear on Madara's face. "Of course I was worried, That's what friends do… right?"

Shiori stared at him, shocked at his words. Friends? He considered them friends? She was surprised and even though they had apologized to each other, she still thought Madara was angry at her. "I… Yeah. I mean- I think so I just didn't think-" Shiori stumbled across her words, trying to find the right reaction to give him.

Madara chuckled at her embarrassment. '_So, she can be embarrassed. It's kind of cute…' _He thought. He noticed she began to twirl a piece of her hair in her fingers again, signifying that she was nervous. Honestly, this girl was so easy to read to him that she might as well have been a child's picture book.

"It's pretty late, you can stay here for the night, if you would like." Madara offered.

Shiori hesitated. She didn't want to seem like she was relying on anyone, but she didn't think she had enough strength to walk back to her house at this moment. Her mind told her to go but her body ached for her to stay put.

"I don't want to be a burden to you. I'm sure I've overstayed my welcom-" "Please don't start again. You're not a burden and you haven't overstayed your welcome at all." Madara cut her off, sighing at her stubbornness. "We're friends. I just want you to know you can trust us to say we care about you. You can stay forever and you'd never be a bother to us."

Shiori fell silent to his words, letting them run through her brain again. No one had ever said that to her. Throughout her whole life, people would just tell her she was a burden or that she was taking up space. She lived to know that if you took something, you had to give something back. Or that if someone was being kind, they wanted something from you. But looking at Madara's face and expression made her come to realize that he meant it when he said she could trust them.

"I.." She couldn't even finish a sentence.

Should she let her guard down? Should she let him pierce her walls she built up? Was this real or… was he going to use her?

Could she take that chance again?

"Okay." She said.

oOo

The next morning, Shiori woke up early to check on her patients. Her chakra reserves were almost back to being full and she was able to walk again with ease. She hustled to the medical bay and went to the man, Kazuma, first.

He was awake, with bandages over both of his eye sockets. Shiori sat next to him, preparing to check his status. "Good morning, Kazuma-san." She said, letting him know she was here.

Kazuma recognized her voice. "Ah, my savior has returned. What's your name, by the way?"

"Shiori," She answered, beginning to unwrap the bandages around his eyes. When they fell, she began to inspect her handiwork.

The eye seemed to be accepted by the body perfectly fine. The pupil dilated at the sudden light and Kazuma squinted in discomfort.

"How do you feel?" She asked, checking if the iris was damaged.

"Tired. Blurry. But not in pain." He said.

"Yeah, that's normal side effects. You're going to be blurry for some time until your eye has adjusted to light again and your body adjusts to the new nerves I gave you. It should clear up in a week. However, I don't suggest any strenuous labor and to take it easy until you can see. I don't want your body to become agitated and interfere with your healing." She said, holding her hand in front of his eye and holding up two fingers.

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Two."

She moved further away and changed it to four.

"Now?"

"...Four." He hesitated.

She moved further back and changed fingers.

"...I can't tell." He admitted. Shiori nodded. "It's better than what I thought you would be. I'm going to put bandages around your eye again to protect it from light." She said, taking bandages from the basket next to his bed and beginning to wrap it around his head.

"I really can't thank you enough for saving me." He said while she wrapped his bandages.

"I'm just glad I could help. How did you get your eyes gouged out, anyways?" She asked.

"Senju cornered me and tried to get me to talk. When I refused, they took out my eyes as punishment. Luckily, I was rescued before they could do anything else." He said calmly, as if it was the most casual thing in the world to happen.

Shiori flinched, but continued wrapping his bandages. "I'm sorry that happened…" She said softly.

Kazuma shrugged. "Shit happens during a war. I'm just lucky to make it out alive."

She finished wrapping his bandages and told him to rest before going towards the back. She pulled the curtain back and realized Kayo was not alone.

She was sitting up in her bed with another boy beside her. A little younger than Madara, but older than Ginjiro. He stiffened when she came in, scanning her with his black eyes. Kayo, however, only smiled brighter when she came in the room.

"Shiori-chan! How are you feeling? I heard you fainted yesterday." She said, a worried look falling on her face. Shiori smiled and pushed a piece of her hair out of her face.

"I'm okay. Just chakra exhaustion, so nothing major. How are you feeling?"

"Much much better. That flower you gave me is really doing the trick. I feel like I could run a mile!" Kayo chirped, clapping her hands in excitement. For a grown woman, she was very bright and optimistic. Shiori found it to be cute and admirable.

"I'm glad. I just need to check over your vitals." She said, sitting down next to the woman's bed and across from the boy who was still staring at her.

"Of course! Oh, Shiori-chan, have you met my son, Izuna-kun, yet?"

Shiori shook her head, but smiled warmly towards the boy. "No I haven't. Hi, I'm Shiori." She greeted.

Izuna looked at his mother and then back to Shiori. "Izuna-kun, Shiori is the one who healed me." Kayo said, nudging for him to say something.

"...Thank you for saving my mother." He said after a moment.

Kayo waved her hand in dismissal. "Izuna-kun is so shy around girls. Especially pretty ones like you, Shiori-chan."

Izuna's face burst into red. "O-Okaa-san!" He exclaimed in embarrassment.

Kayo and Shiori giggled at the boy's bright red face.

"I-I'm going to go train!" He said, running out of the room.

Kayo laughed at her son's spectacle, before turning to the auburn haired girl. "Tajima-kun told me you live alone in the woods."

Shiori nodded, putting a hand on Kayo's neck to check her pulse. "I do."

"It must be lonely." Kayo said, her eyes softening.

Shiori flinched, but kept checking the woman's vitals. "...I'm alright by myself. It's not all that bad. I have my garden that I take care of and my books-" "It sounds like you just try to distract yourself from loneliness."

"I'm not- I don't…" Shiori lost the words she wanted to say. Her heart clenched inside her chest. She knew Kayo could read her like a book. '_Am I that transparent?'_

"I'm sorry," Kayo said, quickly. "I have a tendency to ramble a lot."

"No, you're right." Shiori said, quietly. "I get lonely a lot."

Kayo stared at the girl, shocked she admitted to it. The room went silent for a moment, before Shiori spoke again.

"I've been alone for so long that I'm used to it now. I'm scared to try and connect with people because I'm afraid of rejection. In my head, I keep telling myself I would rather be alone than get hurt, but I think it's just me trying to protect myself like a coward." Shiori's eyes fell to the ground as she spoke. She poured her feelings out towards the woman who listened to her. She didn't know why she was being so emotional right now, but Kayo's cheerfulness and ability to understand her made Shiori's heart feel at ease.

Kayo's heart hurt for the girl. She couldn't have imagined being alone all those years like Shiori had. Kayo was part of a big clan and married the love of her life. She was a mother and had her family surround her constantly, so she never felt lonely.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Shiori-chan.." Kayo said softly, pulling the girl into her arms and embracing her.

Shiori froze, not really knowing what to do, but the pain in her heart from her confession made tears burn into her eyes. She wept shamelessly while Kayo held her, stroking her hair and rubbing her back like a mother would.

She felt pathetic crying in front of someone like this. She felt weak and stupid for confessing her weakness to someone she barely knew. Yet the way Kayo shined with happiness and warmth made her walls crumble down.

And for the first time in a long time, Shiori didn't mind if they did


	6. Chapter 6 - Saving the Girl

**Chapter 6**

After Shiori calmed down, she decided it was time to go back home. She needed to water her garden before her plants died. She left though the gate and began her walk home, watching as the sun rose above her head to signify that it was noon.

As she walked, she noticed a strange smell the closer she came to her house. She became hesitant, walking a bit faster as a trickle of fear rolled down her spine.

Somethings wrong. She could feel it. She began to run towards her treehouse and when she saw it in range, the sense of relief washed over her. She wanted to make it home as soon as possible so this uneasy feeling would go away.

Shiori climbed the ladder, but when she reached the top, she noticed the four, large figures that were going through her things.

She froze in fear. Bandits? Thieves? She didn't know what to do in this scenario. This was _her _house. She never could have imagined someone coming into her house like this.

Her scrolls and books were scattered on the floor. Some were ripped in half and others were just carelessly tossed away. Her clothes were in a messy pile next to her mattress and her medicines were missing from their shelf.

"Hey! There's a girl there!"

Shiori's blood ran cold as she realized she had been spotted. All four men pulled out sharp knives and began going towards the ladder she stood on.

'_MOVE. DAMNIT MOVE!' _She screamed at herself before finally being able to descend the ladder.

"Get her!" She heard one yell above. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She forced chakra into her feet and ran off into the woods, fear and adrenaline taking over her senses.

Why? Where did they come from? What did they want with her?

She was panicking. This had never happened before. She was never chased by people who had the intent to kill her.

Shiori was terrified, her feet running as fast as she could but she no matter how fast she was, she could still hear them behind her.

She pumped more chakra into her feet, trying to speed her way through the forest. She knew there was a tree she could hide in up ahead. She just needed to reach there before they could spot her.

Finally, she saw it. The tree was right up ahead. She made another chakra pumped dash towards the tree, but forgot to notice the ground beneath her.

Shiori screamed as she tripped on an outgrown root and tumbled to the ground. She hissed in pain from the scratch on her knee, trying to regain her sense of control.

The scratch wasn't that bad. Her knee was bleeding but it barely broke through the second layer of skin. Shiori stood up and attempted to walk, but only ended up limping. Pain shot through her leg as the feeling a dread filled her body and heart.

The men were fast approaching her and she knew she was done for. She cursed her stupid pride for believing she could survive these scenarios. How could she have been so careless?

"Got you!" One of the men growled and grabbed her arm.

Shiori thrashed and screamed out, trying to push against the man. "Let me go! Bastard! Don't touch me!"

"Quite a mouth ya got, girl. Shut up or I'll cut your tongue out." He threatened, gripping her arm tighter.

Shiori whimpered, feeling her bone in her arm be squeezed by the man who was ten times stronger than her. She felt more tears brim in her eyes as she realized that she was alone and about to die. The realization made her cry out and sob while she began to stop thrashing.

"That's a good girl… Ey, boys! I got 'er!" He called out.

No one responded back to him.

He narrowed his eyes, scanning the area around him. "Ey?! Where are ya?!"

Suddenly, a flash of silver cut through the man's arm that was holding Shiori. The man howled with pain, falling back on the ground and causing Shiori to fall in the opposite direction.

Madara stood between him and Shiori, his eyes glowing bright red as the sharingan swirled to life. The man tried to cry out, but the Uchiha boy gave him no time before he sliced his head off clean with his katana.

The man's neck sent out a geyser of blood, showering the two teens before it fell limp on the ground.

Madara sheathed his sword, his eyes returning to their usual black before he turned towards Shiori.

The girl was shaking on the ground, her eyes wide with fear and her skin as white as a ghost. Madara kneeled down in front of her, reaching out to touch her only for her to flinch and cower away.

"Shiori… It's me… It's okay… You're safe." He promised, touching her cold hand.

"M-Madara…" She whimpered, her eyes meeting his.

Madara realized this was her first traumatic event. The way her body was shaking and her mental state confirmed it for him. She had never been threatened before, nor had she encountered near death.

Despite all her talk of being able to run away, the girl was defenseless. The girl who would jump in to help a stranger was also the girl who was trembling before him. He noticed her knee and realized she wouldn't be able to walk.

"... I'm taking you back to the compound, okay Shiori?" He said as gentle as he could.

Shiori could only nod, letting him pick her up into his arms. He held her for a moment, hoping to calm the girl down. Soon the shaking stopped and she was there, crying into his shoulder. He let her, knowing she would need it after what she had gone through.

His heart clenched as he watched her sob into his chest. The anger he felt towards the dead bandits would never cease. How dare they make her into this state. How _**dare **_they lay a finger on her.

Never again, he promised himself.

Never again.


	7. Chapter 7 - Getting Through

**Chapter 7**

When Madara brought her back to the compound, he explained to his father and mother what had happened. His father seemed bothered by the news, but his mother was outraged.

"Who are those people who harmed Shiori? I'll rip their heads off and shove them into their as-" "Kayo." Tajima cut his wife off.

Kayo glared at her husband. "Tajima! Shiori almost died because of some fucking bandits! I demand she live here with us inside the Uchiha compound!" She said sternly.

Tajima nodded his head in agreement. "I agree. It's not safe for her to be out there on her own, especially during this time of war. She will stay in our house and the compound for protection." He declared.

Madara looked down at Shiori, still in his arms. He half expected her to protest, but she stayed silent and stared blankly in front of her.

"Take her to the guest room. I'll have a medic check her over." His father ordered. Madara nodded, doing as his father ordered. He walked into the guest room and laid her on the bed, but when he tried to let her go, she clung to him.

"Don't! Don't leave me…!" She whimpered, looking into his eyes pleadingly.

Madara's heart ached to see her like this. She was so prideful and sarcastic before but now… she looked so broken and scared. He didn't know what to do or how to make her feel better.

"... Okay." He said, sitting on the bed and holding her shaking hand. Shiori's body seemed to relax as she gripped his hand and moved closer to his body.

Usually, Madara's would be repulsed by a girl being so close to him. But Shiori was different. He wanted her to be close to him. He wanted to protect her.

It was a strange feeling for the Uchiha, but it was one he welcomed.

He stayed by her side the rest of the night, holding her body close to him until she fell asleep.

oOo

Shiori refused to leave her room.

It had been a couple days since the incident and she wouldn't come out of her room. Kayo was now strong enough to walk and attempted to help the girl regain herself, but nothing seemed to be working. No one knew what was wrong with her. The medics sent to her claimed there was nothing physically wrong with her. However it seemed that her mental state was being tested.

Madara didn't really know what to do about the situation. He stayed with her most days, only leaving to train and attend his daily duties. When she cried, he would hold her and pet her hair to calm her down. He had to force her to eat sometimes. She seemed so much like a hollow shell of herself and no one knew how to help her.

In her head, she was screaming at herself. For years, she had built herself up as an indestructible fortress that could do anything. She pictured herself to be fast and smart enough to run away from danger. Sometimes she even pictured herself fighting back.

But when those men cornered her, the only thing she could do was freeze. She wasn't strong like Madara or the other Uchiha who had seen battle so often. She wasn't smart enough to evade those people either. She was… defenseless. Useless. That was taking the most time to sink in for her.

The world she built for herself to shut others out was crumbling before her. And she couldn't take it.

_'Useless… I'm useless…'_ She repeated to herself in her mind.

She couldn't save her family. She couldn't save those children. She couldn't even save herself.

What was she good for?

What does she do now?

There was a knock on the door and Madara's head peeked into the room. Shiori clenched the sheets beneath her, her eyes stinging to let tears out again.

_'Stupid. Crying won't solve anything. Crying makes you weak.'_ She clenched her eyes shut to get rid of the stinging.

"... Hey." He said, shutting the door behind him.

Shiori looked up with those grey eyes of hers. "... Hey." She answered.

Madara gave her a smile of pity, causing the girl to tighten her grip on the sheets.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, awkwardly standing across the room from her.

_'Don't let him know you're weak. You're fine. You're not weak. You're fine.'_

"I'm okay," She lied, giving him a smile in return. "Nice to know you care for me, Madara-kun." She repeated the same line as before.

Madara scoffed and approached where she sat on the bed. "You must be doing fine if you're able to be sarcastic."

'_Don't trust him. Don't let your guard down.'_

"How is Kayo? Is she doing better?"

"Kaa-san is fine, she's just worried sick about you. You haven't been exactly yourself since…" He trailed off.

Shiori nodded. "I know. I'm fine now."

_'You're weak. He could kill you at any moment.'_

"Tou-san said you can stay here. Bandits don't dare come into the compound, so you'd be completely safe." He told her.

_'They know you're weak. You need their protection. You'll hide behind them like a coward.'_

"I'll be fine on my own," She reassured. "I can handle myself."

'No you can't.'

Madara frowned. "Please don't start that again. I'm not saying you're weak but you can't live by yourself like that anymore. You have to see that now."

'Coward.'

"I'll be fine, Madara."

"No you won't."

"I will." She pressed, digging her nails into her palm.

"Shiori, you almost died. My family care about you-"

_**"I said, I'm fine."**_

Silence echoed through the room. Shiori was breathing heavily, her eyes piercing into his like a weapon. Why was she so furious?

Madara could only stare at her. His heart clenched in his chest at her stubbornness. A part of him wanted to argue back but he couldn't find the words.

He scowled, shaking his head in disappointment. "You know what? You are weak." He spat.

Shiori flinched and opened her mouth to yell at him, but he wouldn't let her.

"You're so self absorbed and arrogant with yourself that you can't even see after almost dying that you need help. You think you can do anything without consequences just because you're fast. You're beyond stupid and such an idiot to believe you're strong enough to fend for yourself out there. I wasn't going to say anything, because I didn't want to offend you, but _**fuck it**_. I won't stand around and let you get yourself killed because you think you're so much stronger than you really are!" He yelled at her.

Shiori flinched, his words sinking into her mind and resonating in her brain. Her eyes fell to the ground, her heart beat drumming loudly into her ears.

Madara sighed, before turning his back towards her.

"I won't make you stay, it's your choice either way, but I won't always be there to protect you. So Shiori," He turned his head. "Are you really strong enough to continue living like this?"

And with that, he left the room, leaving Shiori to her thoughts as she sank into the bed and began to cry.


	8. Chapter 8 - Her Decision

**Chapter 8**

"Madara-nii! Shiori isn't in her room!" Ginjiro cried out, shaking the boy awake.

Madara shot up, his sharingan blazing to life. That stupid girl… After everything he said, did she not even listen? He grabbed his katana from his bedside and rushed out the door with Ginjiro.

"I'll search the west side of the compound and you go east. She couldn't have gone fa-" "There she is!"

Madara's head whipped around towards the direction Ginjiro was pointing at. There she was, hair pulled back into a long, straight ponytail, her body position mimicking one he's seen by shinobi so many times before. She was wearing a too-big-for-her battle kimono from the guest room she was staying in, and there was a litter of kunai scattered on the ground near her.

Ginjiro rushed forward. "Shiori-chan!" He called, colliding into her.

The girl lost her focus and jumped in shock when the boy called her name. She lifted her arms to let him wrap his around her waist.

"We were worried you had left!" Ginjiro said, nuzzling his face into her chest.

Immediately, Madara felt a twinge of annoyance towards his brother. But he pushed it away as he walked towards them.

"You stayed." He stated.

Shiori nodded, turning to face him. "... Yes, I am."

"You are? So you're going to stay?"

Shiori gave him a nod.

Ginjiro's face brightened as he jumped with excitement. "Really?! Shiori-chan is staying with us? I'm so happy!"

"Well," Shiori blushed as she scratched her cheek. "Someone needs to take care of you guys. You always seem to get hurt somehow and I don't like standing on the sidelines while people are hurt."

Madara chuckled at her lame excuse. "Uh huh. Sure."

"Shut up Madabaka." She scowled.

"Madabaka?" He echoed, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, Madabaka. Cause you're an idiot." She humphed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well this 'idiot' is the one who convinced you to stay, isn't he?"

Shiori's face burned with embarrassment as she began to throw kunai towards the boy. "Shut up, Shut up, SHUT UP!"

Madara shrieked before jumping to dodge her oncoming attacks. "WHERE DID YOU EVEN GET KUNAI!?"

"Your mom lent me hers!"

"KAA-SAN, WHAT THE HELL?"

"MADARA-NII, WATCH OUT FOR THE BRANC-"

_**THWACK**_

"... Is he dead?"

"No, just stupid."

"Stupid Shiori…"

"See? He's fine."

"Eto.. Shiori-chan? Can you heal Nii-san?"

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmaybe."

"Pleeeeaaaaasssseeeee? For me?"

"Ahhh Gin-kun! Put your puppy dog eyes away!"

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaasssseeeeeeee?"

"No! He deserved it for teasing me!"

"Pleeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssssssssseeeeee?"

"Agh! Stop it with the eyes! Okay fine! I'll heal Madabaka!"

"Yay."

oOo

"So, Shi-chan, do you like Madara-kun?"

Shiori began choking on her tea that Kayo poured her a moment before.

"E-E-Eh?! No way! Madabaka is an idiot!" She exclaimed, her embarrassment showing on her face.

Kayo smirked, a hand over her mouth as she gave Shiori a look. "Oh hoho, Shi-chan's face is bright red… Why so embarrassed?"

"K-Kayo-san! This is YOUR son we're talking about here!"

"I know," She stated. "And as his mother, I want to know if you have feelings for my son?"

"I-I-I don't! I don't even know what feelings feel like." Shiori admitted, nervously playing with her hair.

"I don't really know how to describe it, but I feel mostly grateful for your family to invite me in like this. I never really had anyone care for me like you all have… And to be saved by Madara made me even more happy and thankful that I met him. Before all this… I didn't really want anything to do with anyone. I just wanted to live alone in my own little world…" Shiori fidgeted in her spot next to the woman.

"I'm not sure whether this is love or not, But I'm so grateful towards your family and Madara." She smiled brightly, letting her eyes shut in content and her two dimples show on her cheeks.

Kayo sniffled, wiping away a tear before launching herself at the girl. "Wah! Shiori-chan! We love you too and so grateful for saving us!" The woman cried in her arms. Shiori smiled, petting her long, black hair soothingly.

"I'll definitely get you and Madara-chan together! I promise!" She wailed.

Shiori's smile was replaced by a sudden look of embarrassment. "E-Eh?! Kayo-san! That's not what I meant at all!"

"I don't care! I want you as a daughter!"

"KAYO-SAN!"

oOo

"So, you want to train to be a ninja."

Shiori's eyes were staring holes into the ground. She nodded and bowed before the Uchiha man, despite her pride screaming at her. "Y-Yes, Uchiha-san. I want to become strong to protect the Uchiha and myself!" She exclaimed.

Tajima straightened his back, interest flashing in his eyes. "Before, you said you wanted nothing to do with the Uchiha or the war… What changed, Shiori?"

Shiori swallowed her pride and looked up into the intense man's gaze.

"... I'm truly grateful to Madara for saving my life. I'm also so grateful for you to provide me with protection even though I was so cold to you before. I-I," Shiori took a sharp inhale. "I want to be strong enough to protect all of you too!"

Tajima smiled down towards the small girl with pride going through his body. She had come a long way from the scrawny, selfish girl he had met in the forest. Although he understood, Shiori was never selfish. He watched as she saved several Uchiha members without asking for anything in return. She even saved Kayo after he had been so cruel towards her. But here she was, asking to protect the clan that pulled her into this treacherous war.

"Hn. Alright. Training begins at noon everyday. I will not go easy on you, just because you are a girl. You will feel awful at first, but I do not expect you to complain at any moment, do you understand?" He said, turning his back to her.

Shiori beamed, lifting her head and nodding attentively. "Y-Yes Uchiha-san! I won't let you down!"

Tajima smiled. "I know."


	9. Chapter 9 - Meeting the Friend

**Chapter 9**

"Oi, Madabaka, where do you think you're going?"

Madara flinched, slowly turning to the direction the voice came from.

Shiori stood a couple feet away from him, her hair pulled up and an Uchiha black shirt hanging off her skinny figure. She wore black leggings and sandals to complete her new look. Personally, he thought it was way too dark for her personality, but somehow it suited her.

She grinned, knowing she caught him and jogged over to the boy. "Where ya headed, Madabaka?"

Madara sighed, realizing he wouldn't be able to get away from the girl.

"I'm going to the river."

"For?"

"Forrrrr a swim."

"Uh huh. A swim."

"Yeah, a swim."

Shiori smirked. "Then would you mind if I came along? I'd love a good swim myself."

"No! You can't come!"

"Ehhhh? Why not, Madabaka?" Shiori whined, giving him a small pout.

Madara sighed, "Because you can't, Shiori. Sorry."

"Are you going to see a lover or something? Is she not part of this clan? Is that why you're not letting me go?" Shiori grinned mischievously, herhand coming up to cover her mouth. "Don't worry, Madabaka, I won't tell anyone about your forbidde-" "I DO NOT HAVE A LOVER!" Madara seethed.

He sighed, rubbing his temples. "Okay, you can come, but you have to SWEAR not to tell anyone. Especially my father."

Shiori nodded, smiling in victory. "I promise, Madabaka."

oOo

"Madara? Who is that?"

Shiori was surprised to see a boy across the river they stood at. He was around 15 or 16, her age, and had short brown hair with straight bangs on his forehead. Overall, he seemed relatively normal.

Madara sighed. "This," He gestured towards her. "Is Shiori. She's a friend of mine."

Shiori waved towards the boy. "Hiya."

The boy waved back to her, hesitantly. He was obviously very skeptical and cautious, Shiori thought.

"Don't worry, she's safe." He assured him. Then he turned to her. "That's my best friend Hashirama. He's crazy strong like I am."

Shiori tilted her head, "Ehhh, that's pretty cool. Also, you don't have to pretend, Madabaka, if he's your gay lover, I fully support-" "HE'S NOT MY LOVER!"

Shiori cackled at the boy's reaction. Across the river, even Hashirama let out a little giggle.

A bandaged arm caught her eyes. She stopped laughing and beckoned Hashirama to come to her. "Are you injured?" She asked, pointing to his arm.

The brunette blushed, waving his arms in the air in an act of dismissal. "O-Oh it's nothing, Shiori-san! It's just a scratch."

"Scratches can lead to infection. Infection can lead to death. Just come over here." She ordered, rolling her eyes with a playful smile.

Madara smirked. "Just do it, Hashirama, this is gonna blow your mind." He promised.

The boy faltered as he jumped over the river in a jump. He landed in front of Shiori and presented her his arm. She unwrapped the gash on his arm with one hand and the other positioned itself over his wound. She focused her chakra to her palm, which began to glow green.

Within a minute, Hashirama's wound began to fade off his skin. The boy's eyes widened bigger than Shiori thought they could be as he gasped. "H-How did you do that?" He asked, flabbergasted.

"I taught myself," She answered truthfully. "I don't know, it just kind of ran in my family."

"Can you teach me?" Hashirama asked, pleadingly.

Shiori blushed, looking over to Madara for advice. He only shrugged. "Up to you."

"U-Uh… I've never taught anyone how to before…" She admitted.

"That's okay! I'm sure you'll be an amazing teacher." He persisted.

"E-eh… Okay. I can try." She sighed, smiling at the boy. His eyes lit up with glee.

"R-really?! Thank you, Shiori-san!"

"You don't have to call me Shiori-san, just Shiori is fine."

"Or Stupid Shiori." Madara interjected.

She scowled. "Shut up, Madabaka."

"Mada….baka?" Hashirama sounded out, smirking towards the embarrassed boy. Madara growled. "Damnit, Shiori! You had to mention it in front of Hashirama?"

She giggled. "Awwww don't worry Madabaka. Once I know Hashirama well enough, I'll give him a dumb nickname too."

Hashirama paled. "Please don't…"

Her eyes brightened. "I got it!"

"Oh god…"

"Hashi-chan!" She declared, pointing towards the brunette.

"Pft," Madara tried to hold in his laughter, but couldn't contain it. "HAHAHA! HASHI-CHAN IS PERFECT!"

"S-SHUT UP MADABAKA!"

"SHUT UP HASHI-CHAN!"

"FIGHT ME, MADABAKA!"

Shiori watched as Madara charged into the other boy, throwing them both in the water that was flowing very quickly downstream. She giggled, a warm feeling filling her stomach. So, this was what it was like to have friends.

She wondered why she isolated herself for so many years.

**oOo**

"Okay now that you two," She sighed, drying Madara's hair off with his dry shirt, "Are somewhat calm, I'll start the lessons."

Hashirama was wringing his shirt next to them, his ears perking up at the sentence she said.

"Madabaka, do you wanna learn too?" She asked, coyly.

He scowled at the name, but gave her a short nod.

She clapped her hands together and moved to sit on a rock nearby. "Okay! So, I'm assuming you both have a decent amount of chakra. This mainly involves chakra control and focus. If you lose focus, you can mess the entire healing process up. My mom used to say that, 'If you lose your focus, you lose your patient too.'" She quoted with a small speck of sadness twinging in the corner of her eyes. Only Madara caught onto it, though. And it was only because he had spent enough time with Shiori to know that when she talked about her parents, she was going to get sad.

"So the first thing I want you both to do is use your chakra to stand on water. That was the first exercise my mom had me do."

"I know how to do that." Hashirama stated.

Madara nodded in agreement. "Me too."

Shiori smirked. "Good. That means we get to go to stage two… Hey boys? Go to the middle of the river over there."

They looked at her, confused, but obliged. Once they were in the middle, Shiori picked up a pebble and chucked it as hard as she could towards Hashirama.

Hashirama squeaked, losing his concentration for a second to dodge, but a second was too long. He plummeted into the water, sputtering and gasping for air.

Madara was cackling beside his friend, but it didn't last long since Shiori also chucked a rock at him too. Madara fell face first into the water, making the laughter stop.

Shiori smirked as they came to the water's edge and glared at her. "What was that?! You made me lose my focus!"

"Exactly," She said, "You lost your focus from one, measly pebble. In a life or death situation, you can't lose your focus over small things like that. You must remain calm."

"... You just want to throw things at us." Madara deadpanned.

"Nope. This was the second part of my training with my mom. However, I didn't have as much chakra as you two, so my training only lasted an hour. You boys can go for longer. Which means you'll be able to learn quickly."

They smiled in hope at her last sentence.

"... And it gives me more chances to find things that are bigger than rocks to throw."

The smiles faded.


	10. Chapter 10 - The Senju

**Chapter 10**

A week went by pretty fast.

Madara and Hashirama were beginning to get a hang of their focused chakra control. Hashirama was surpassing Madara in this aspect by a _lot. _Which Shiori teased Madara about to no end. Madara, however, would get back at her when she had to train with him and his brothers under their father.

Shiori fell back on her arse with Madara grinning victoriously above her. She scowled in dismay.

"Shiori, you need to keep up with Madara's movements." Tajima instructed.

Shiori sighed, but got to her feet again and took her place a few feet away from the smirking boy. "Let's go again."

She burst into action, running towards Madara with chakra boosted speed. Shiori went to throw a punch to his face, but the boy sidestepped her easily. Madara then gave her back a kick and sent her flying into the dirt. She hissed, falling face first into the ground.

"That's enough for today," Tajima sighed. "Good work, Madara. Shiori, you need to be able to sense your opponent's movements. Throwing punches like that can leave you wide open. Try and predict what he's going to do next."

"Yes, Uchiha-san…" She grumbled, dusting herself off.

Madara helped her to her feet with a smug grin. She hit his shoulder, rolling her eyes. "You know I'm gonna make you regret it later."

"Yeah yeah… Hey, I've been practicing that leaf technique you showed us and I think I've got it down."

"Oh really? Show me then."

Madara picked up a stray leaf and balanced the stem on his finger. He sent a little chakra to the tip and let it stick to his hand as he waved it around. Shiori clapped at his achievement.

"Congrats Madabaka, you're now only four steps behind Hashi-chan."

Madara scowled. "I'll catch up to him one day. It's not my fault I have too much chakra."

"Hashi-chan actually has more chakra than you, which means you have no reason to complain." Shiori pointed out, but Madara just shooed at her.

"Whatever. Let's go."

oOo

Once they reached the river, Shiori was ready to relax. Her body ached from the beating Madara had given her during training. She laid on the rocks near the shore, letting the sun beam on her face.

However, her peace was disturbed when Hashirama appeared.

He looked panicked and disturbed. Two emotions Shiori never saw on the happy boy's face. He looked like he was having a mental breakdown when he came to them.

"Hashirama? What's wrong?" Madara asked. Shiori sat up from her spot on the rocks.

"A-Ah it's nothing… Don't worry ab-" "Something's obviously wrong, please tell us." Shiori pressed.

Hashirama flinched before looking at the ground. "M-My brother… He got hurt and.. w-we don't know if he's going to make it." He stuttered, his voice cracking.

Madara looked towards Shiori who had already gotten up from her place on the rocks. "Take me to him." She said.

"Shiori… I don't know if that's a good ide-" "I can heal him. Take me to him." She repeated.

Hashirama and Madara looked concerned. The clothes she wore had the Uchiha symbol on her back. Going into Senju territory in Uchiha clothing wasn't the smartest idea.

But Hashirama was desperate and he knew if anyone could heal his brother, it would be Shiori. So he nodded.

"Madara, I'll be back later. Don't tell Tajima where I'm going, okay?"

"Wait, Shiori, it's not smart to go alon-" "Don't worry, I'll be back by sunset." She assured.

Madara wanted to protest, but after seeing Hashirama's distraught face, he knew he couldn't stop her from going.

"Wear something else, at least." He said.

"We can stop by my old home and grab something. Come on, Hashirama, we need to go fast." She said.

"Y-yes!"

oOo

Shiori didn't realize Hashirama was a Senju until they got to the gates. The compound was much different than the Uchiha compound. It was just as large, but had a warmer feel to the environment than the cold stone walls that surrounded the Uchiha. She was led in straight away, earning a few unsettling looks from the people around her.

"T-Tou-san! This is my friend Shiori. She can help Itama." Hashirama said as they entered a wooden house filled with medics.

Hashirama's father looked at her just like Tajima had when they first met. Cold and distrusting. He scanned her for a moment, making her glad she wore a simple white dress instead of her Uchiha attire.

"Who are you?" He asked with a deeper voice than what she was used to.

"My name is Shiori… And before you ask I have no clan affiliation." She stated.

"Can she really save Itama, Hashirama?" His father asked, a hint of doubt in his voice.

Hashirama nodded vigorously. "Yes! Shiori is amazing, Tou-san!"

Looking past the man, Shiori noticed a very pale young boy, around Ginjiro's age, laying on a mattress on the ground. She pushed past the man and the medics and began analyzing her patient.

He was beaten up pretty bad and was stabbed multiple times in the stomach and upper chest. The medics before her tried to stop the bleeding with bandages, but it didn't seem to be helping at all. She didn't have much time to save the boy.

"Hashirama, please get me clean towels and bandages." She ordered, beginning to peel away the blood soaked bandages from the boy's chest.

She heard Hashirama run off and got to work, sending chakra into her hands. As they glowed a familiar green, she put them to the boy's chest and began working on the largest cut.

It was deep and ran through his body. She thought it must have been a miracle he was still alive. She forced his body to begin the healing process, stitching the skin back together.

Hashirama's father gave a sharp intake noise as he watched her.

"Senju-san, please get a vial of blue flowers from my pack. I need them for-" "Chakra restoration. I know what Caryn flowers are." He spoke bluntly.

"Good," She said, still focusing on the boy's inner muscles that were damaged by the blade. "Because this is going to take a while."

oOo

By the time Shiori had finished healing the third stab wound, the sun was already setting. Shiori was exhausted. She had been working for the past five hours, using Caryn flowers to keep her going.

She wanted to keep pushing herself. She knew she _had _to keep going. People were counting on her and a boy's life was at stake.

But her body ached and screamed against her continuing. She knew she was close to passing out as her vision began to become blurry.

'_If Madara was here, he'd force me to stop.' _She thought to herself. Itama was in a stable position for now. The only reminders of his wounds were scars and a fractured rib. She healed three of the four stab wounds and the last one left was not a fatal strike.

Hashirama put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to flinch.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He said, sitting beside her on the ground.

It was just them in the room with the injured Itama still unconscious. His father and the other medics had left when she healed the second wound, but told Hashirama to stay and watch her. His father had other duties to attend to.

Somehow, Shiori found Hashirama's father to be colder than Tajima. He cared for his son, but didn't stay unlike Tajima. She found it interesting that the Senju could be more cold than the Uchiha.

"It's alright," She breathed, "I'm close to being done."

"You look exhausted," Hashirama frowned. "Madara would kill me if I brought you back half-dead."

Shiori rolled her eyes. "That idiot would just yell at me til morning. I wouldn't have a chance to die without him throwing a fit."

Hashirama chuckled. "How did you meet him anyways?"

Shiori felt a soft smile form on her face. "He saved me. Well, I saved his brother first and then his father kind of tried to force me to heal his mother. Madara stopped him from taking me prisoner. After that, I healed his mother and sort of became part of the family. Madara even saved me from being killed by bandits." She reminisced. Hashirama listened and smiled at her story.

"Before the Uchiha took me in, I was alone. I had no family or friends. I thought I was happy being alone, but I was lying to myself. Madara…" She sighed, "That idiot got through to me and my stubbornness."

Hashirama let out a small laugh. "He does seem to have a tendency to get through to people. I kinda envy him."

"How did you meet?" She asked.

"Well… we were children. We just stumbled upon each other and became friends. We didn't care about who the other person was or that we are at war with each other. We just… began a friendship." He grinned, giving Shiori a small sense of warmth inside. But it quickly faded.

Shiori winced, feeling a sharp pain in the left side of her head. Her palms began to flicker from green to pale blue before dispersing.

She held a hand to her head, trying to push her fatigue away. "Sorry… Just give me a minute and I'll finish the healing."

"No, don't push yourself. You've done more than enough, Shiori." He helped the girl to her feet, but noticed that she was about to fall down immediately. Before she could, he lifted her off the ground and carried her towards the door. She protested, but he ignored her.

"Our medics can heal the minor wounds. Itama isn't going to die anymore, thanks to you. That's more than anything I could ask for." He said. "Thank you, Shiori."

Shiori leaned her head against his shoulder, letting her exhaustion take over. "I wish we could all live in harmony.. like you and Madara…"

She fell asleep and Hashirama didn't mind carrying her. She was extremely light and small compared to the things he was used to carrying. Battle packs and other injured senju.

He explained to his father Itama's condition and excused himself to take the girl home.

"Hashirama," His father called.

He noticed how dark his father's eyes were becoming, which made him worry.

"Keep an eye on her." He said, but it felt more like an order.

Hashirama swallowed roughly, but nodded and left the compound without another word.


	11. Chapter 11 - Two Years Later

**Chapter 11**

Two years had passed since Shiori's encounter with the Senjus.

Seriously. Two years.

Two years of training with Tajima.

Two years of getting teased by Kayo.

Two years of living with the Uchiha.

And two entire years of sneaking out with Madara to meet up with Hashirama.

By this time, Shiori had excelled in her training once Tajima understood how to train her. He made her focus on chakra enhanced attacks and expanding her chakra reserves. It was difficult and made Shiori be bedridden on multiple occasions due to exhaustion, but in the end it was worth the effort. She had become a kunoichi that was on par with anyone in the Uchiha clan, excluding Madara.

During this time, she blossomed into a beautiful young lady. She now stood a couple inches under Madara, her long hair grew longer and fell to her matured hips. Her face was beginning to lose the baby fat she had before so her jawline stood out amongst other womanly features. It was a surprise to see how much a year could change a person physically.

On her birthday, Kayo had custom clothes made for the girl. The clothes she wore were far too boyish for a becoming woman. She dressed the girl in a tightfitting crimson shirt with long black sleeves that clung to her arms. It was a low cut neckline, which Shiori declined at first, but Kayo insisted. 'If you have assets, you better show them off.' She had told the girl. Which only made her more embarrassed to wear it.

Along with the shirt, Kayo had the girl wear tight fitting black leggings and black boots. She styled the girl's hair in a high ponytail, only allowing her bangs to fall around the curve of her face. Shiori added to Kayo's design by wearing black, fingerless gloves, a black belt around her waist and bandages around her chest to not show her growing cleavage, much to Kayo's dismay.

"But how will Madara be able to fawn over your breasts if he can't see the-" "K-Kayo!"

That was a conversation Shiori wished she didn't have with the woman.

However, it seemed Kayo's pushing had brought no new feelings to emerge in the two. Like Shiori, Madara had become a fine young man. He was still as intimidating as before, but instead of being as childish as Shiori was, he seemed to have matured a lot more. Shiori guessed that it came from his father's pressure to have him become the next clan leader.

But whenever it came to Shiori, he was still the idiot she knew him to be.

"Happy birthday, Shiori-chan!"

Ginjiro grinned, handing the startled girl his present.

"Aw Gin… you didn't have to." She smiled, taking the messy wrapped package.

"I wanted to! It's so cool that you've turned eighteen. I hope you like your present." The boy blushed, making Shiori chuckle.

She unwrapped the gift and marveled at the sight.

Inside was a small blue box that contained a pair of silver earrings with a simple hoop design. They were small, which Shiori appreciated as to not get in the way of her training. She thanked the boy for her gift, giving him a hug. "I love them! Thank you, Gin-kun."

Ginjiro's face burned brighter as he stumbled on a 'your welcome. He then excused himself and fled to the house from embarrassment.

A couple feet away, Shiori heard a familiar chuckle.

"I can't believe you got Ginjiro to have a crush on you." Madara mused, coming over the greet the girl. She rolled her eyes and playfully hit his shoulder. "Shut up, it's not my fault he's going through puberty."

"I mean," Madara shrugged.

"Where have you been all day, anyway? I haven't seen you since last night." She commented.

Madara sighed. "Tou-san had me attend the war meetings again. This one took longer than any of us anticipated." He grumbled, a bored look on his face.

Shiori giggled. "I'd hate to be in your shoes. Those meetings just _sound _boring by the way you describe them. Sucks to be you, Madabaka."

"It's been a while since you called me by that name… Is today special or something….?" He asked, teasingly.

Shiori hit his shoulder again.

"Ow! Ow! I was kidding! Geez…" He rubbed his hurt shoulder.

"You better. What kind of friend would you be if you forgot what today was? Kayo would kill you." She pouted, crossing her arms.

Madara cringed. "She would murder me in my sleep if I forgot…" He shuddered at the thought of the woman whacking him with a pot like she had when he accidently walked in on Shiori in the bathroom.

Shiori giggled at his discomfort.

Madara turned to her, holding out his arms towards the girl. "Happy birthday, Shiori."

Shiori grinned, embracing the man. The smell of wood and musk entered her nose as she rested her chin on his shoulder.

"This really must be a special day if you're letting me hug you."

"Well I can't let Kaa-san have too much to fantasize about."

"So mean to your mother. You're lucky I like you alive enough to not tell her you said that."

"I'm pretty sure you just like me in genera- OW!" Madara's teasing was interrupted by the girl hitting him over the head. She was blushing brighter than her hair.

"You wish I liked you, Madabaka. Pervert." She humphed, letting him go.

Madara scowled. "You're the one who was gawking at Hashirama and I when we went swimming that one time-" "I was not gawking!" Shiori hissed, attempting to punch him again, only to miss.

"You were totally gawking. Especially at Hashirama. Oooo do you have a crush on him or something?"

"I'm going to murder you." She hissed, her first emitting the pale blue glow of her chakra.

"So you DO like him?"

"MADARA!"

"ACK!"

**oOo**

"Happy birthday, Shi-chan!" Hashirama grinned, hugging the blushing girl tightly. Shiori let out a squeak of surprise, but hugged the man back.

"T-Thanks Hashirama-kun." She said, trying to hide her flustered reaction. Her heartbeat began to quicken when she inhaled the sweet smell of lemon and honey that he had. '_Damnit, stupid heart!'_

It's true that she had begun to crush on the brunette a while back. He had always been so kind hearted and gentle towards her. He stayed by her side and listened to all of her rants when Madara and her had a fight. He let her cry on his shoulder when she needed to be away from the Uchiha. She confided in him all her feelings and even her past. She trusted Hashirama and adored being around him. It was so obvious to everyone, except for Hashirama himself.

His appearance didn't change that much. Other than the fact that his hair was much longer, his muscles much bigger, and his smile much wider. Shiori blushed at the thought of the man.

"Oh! I almost forgot," He said, letting her go and reaching in his bag. He held out a small size box, wrapped neatly with a red bow on top. Shiori's heart melted as she took it from his hands.

"I hope you like it! Madara helped me pick it out for you." He admitted.

Madara coughed behind them. Shiori turned and sent Madara a breathtaking smile. "Really? Thanks, you two." She said, unwrapping the gift carefully.

Inside the box was a gold chain necklace with a white lily flower charm on the end. Shiori was at a loss for words as she traced her fingertips over the charm.

"It's beautiful…" She whispered, picking it up out of the box.

"I'm so happy you like it! Madara mentioned your favorite flower was a lily, so we had to look around the market for hours in order to find it." Hashirama grinned, holding his hand out to Madara for a high five, in which he complied.

"I love it. Thank you both so much." She sniffled, putting the necklace on and touching the charm on her neck.

"Of course! You're an essential part of the trio of idiots." Hashirama grinned, ruffling her hair.

Madara chuckled, putting a hand on her shoulder as well. Shiori grinned, wiping away her tears as a happy feeling emitted in her stomach. These boys really were her best friends.

"I really like your new outfit, Shi-chan." Hashirama noticed.

"Thanks, Kayo designed it for me." She chirped, pulling at her new shirt.

"It looks good on you, don't you think so Madara?"

Madara smirked, "It really does suit you. I'm surprised you're wearing something so revealing though. Your breasts are basically hanging out of-"

_**THWACK**_

"_OW!"_

"_PERVERT!"_

**oOo**

"Shiori," Madara called to her as she opened her bedroom door. She turned towards him, noticing the man's cheeks were tinted red. He cleared his throat before handing her a medium sized black box. Once she took it, he shuffled into his room without another word, leaving the girl alone in the hallway.

She weighed the gift. It was heavier than the ones she had received, but just as neatly wrapped as Hashirama's gift. She walked to her bed, closing the door behind her.

Shiori opened the gift and what she saw made her breath hitch in her throat.

Inside was a handcrafted tanto blade with a leather sheath. The blade was reflective silver and sharp to the touch and the handle was comfortable to hold. On the handle was a small tag that read;

"_Happy birthday, Shiori._

_-Madara"_

Shiori hugged the blade to her chest, unable to wipe the grin off her face. She was so happy she saved that injured boy in the woods that day. She was so grateful to meet Madara and the Uchiha family.

For the first time in her life, she was home.

**Sidestory: One Year Ago**

Madara was exhausted beyond belief. His father made him go to three meetings and then made him train for five hours straight. His body was sore and he reeked of sweat. He really needed a shower.

The lights were off when he got home, so he assumed everyone was out or asleep. Which wasn't that surprising. It wasn't that late.

He made himself some dinner, rice and eggs, before going towards the bathroom. It was unlocked, which he expected. But he did not expect anyone to be in the room.

Inside, Shiori stood under the water stream, washing her hair and completely naked. A moment of silence went by as both teenagers tried to grasp what exactly was happening.

Madara was… God he couldn't even describe it. Her body was a lot more mature than he thought it was. Her breasts were easily D-cup and her waist was nice and curvy. His face burned as his nose began to drip a stream of blood.

Shiori snapped out of her state of shock. Her face burst to red as she screamed, covering her breasts with her hands and throwing a bucket at Madara's head. Madara was in such a daze that he didn't dodge the oncoming attack.

"PERVERT!" She screamed, throwing whatever she could find in the bathroom at the boy. He staggered his way out of the door and rushed down the hallway. "I'M SORRY!" He yelled, slamming his door shut.

Shiori rushed and closed the open bathroom door before sinking to the ground. She covered her hands over her face, trying to stop her pounding heart.

Madara, on the other hand, was trying to figure out what the actual fuck just happened. He sat on his bed, wiping his bleeding nose with a cloth. All this time, Madara had viewed Shiori as a child. A little sister. But…

Oh boy was he wrong. She was nowhere near the little girl she used to be. And even then, he remembered her to be quite more physically mature than most girls at her age. He groaned and covered his face with his hands, trying to calm himself down.

What was happening to him?

oOo

An hour later, Kayo had marched into his room and whacked him with a pot.


	12. Chapter 12 - Shit Goes Down

**Chapter 12**

"You're… engaged?"

Hashirama nodded, letting out a soft sigh. "My father dropped that on me this morning. Apparently I have to unify the Uzamaki and Senju clans by marrying a princess…" He said in disdain, obviously not happy about the arrangement.

"Pft," Madara held his stomach, trying to hold his laughter in.

"You? Married to a princess?" Madara cackled, finding the entire situation to be hilarious. Hashirama let out a groan, covering his face with his hands. "It's not funny! I have no idea what to do… I've never met her. What if she's awful? What if she hates me or I hate her?"

"Well you'll never find out with that attitude."

"You're not helping, Madabaka. You got any advice, Shi-chan?" Hashirama asked.

Shiori was in her own thoughts, staring at the ground. Hashirama was engaged? To a princess? Well.. Of course he was. He was the Senju heir. He had to marry someone of the same social class. But so soon?

Shiori didn't even think about the possibility that Hashirama would be married anytime soon. They were just eighteen, barely adults. What would this mean? What does this mean for… for Shiori's feelings. A sinking emotion filled her gut as she realized her feelings would never be reciprocated. It made her sad, but she chose not to show it.

She smiled towards the brunette. "Just be kind to her. I'm sure you both will live happy lives together." She said, but on the inside, she didn't mean it.

She hoped his fiancee was ugly and mean. She hoped that the girl hated Hashirama or that Hashirama hated her so much that the wedding would be cancelled.

But she would never say that.

"I'm meeting her tomorrow… I don't even know what to say. "Hey, how's it going? How's… princess life?" I'm going to make a complete fool of myself." Hashirama groaned.

"You'll be fine." Madara reassured, patting his back. "...Probably."

"You really aren't helping, bastard."

"Ugh! Shi-chan, please give me something to go by! I have no idea how to act around a princess, let alone a _girl."_

"Baka!" Shiori scowled. "I'm a girl. Just act the same way you do around me."

"Yeah, but it's different. You're not really a girl you're more of… one of the boys. It's easy to be around you."

Shiori's heart clenched in her chest. He.. didn't even see her as a girl? Did he actually just say that to her. So… even if he wasn't engaged, he would have never seen her that way? After all the time they spent together alone, talking about their dreams and aspirations? It meant nothing?

Shiori took a sharp breath in. It took all of her willpower to not cry in front of the boys. She turned her heel. "I'm heading back early." She said in a monotone voice before leaving without saying another word.

Once she was out of sight, Madara hit his friend on the back of his head.

"ITAI! What was that for, Madabaka?!"

Madara shook his head. "You're an idiot, Hashirama." He said before jogging after the girl, leaving the confused brunette alone near the river.

oOo

"Stupid Hashirama. Stupid engagement. Stupid fiancee." Shiori grumbled to herself. As she was walking, she kicked a small rock on the ground in front of her. It tumbled a few feet in front of her before landing. She narrowed her eyes and kicked it again. It went a little farther, but still tumbled on the ground.

Out of a complete blind rage, Shiori pumped chakra into her right foot, running up to the rock and kicking it as hard as she could. It soared into the air, flying far away out of her view of sight.

"Wow. What did that rock do to deserve that?" Madara whistled behind her. Shiori turned, still burning with rage inside of her. She was about to shout at Madara, but he stopped her by taking the girl in his arms.

"W...What are you doing? Let me go!" She pushed against his hold, but he wouldn't let go.

"It's okay to be hurt, idiot. He's not with me." He muttered, still holding her.

"I'm not mad! I don't care about Hashirama or his stupid marriage…" She denied, hiding her face in Madara's solid chest. "I'm not upset! I'm not… I'm not sad…" Her voice cracked as she began to stop fighting his embrace.

Madara held her closer, letting her cry into his chest. He knew she needed this. Her feelings for Hashirama ran deep, and to hear that he never even saw her as a girl? That must have hurt. Shiori was still a fragile girl, and Madara could still read her like a book as he did when he first met her.

No matter how many lives she's saved or how many times she claimed to be strong, only Madara knew it was a facade. Only he had seen the girl's true colors after that fateful day.

She had changed. She knew to accept help when she direly needed it now, but old habits die hard.

She was still that girl claiming to be stronger than she really was. Even though she was physically much stronger, it didn't change her stupid habit.

"I-I… I don't need your… Why…?" She cried, still hiding her face in his chest.

"Haven't we been over this before? You don't have to force yourself around me, Shiori." He whispered, petting her hair soothingly.

"...I know." She breathed, before wrapping her arms around Madara's waist.

When she pulled back, she was smiling again. Her eyes were still puffy and red, though. "At least I know now that I never stood a chance. He didn't even see me as a girl."

"Hashirama is an idiot-" "No, he's right. I'm far too immature and boyish to match up to a princess." She sighed, wiping her tears off her cheek. "I feel like such a- What are you doing?"

Madara didn't even try to stop himself from putting his palm on her cheek and wiping the rest of her tears away. She was warm, her cheeks flushed from crying, but her skin was soft. Her almond, slanted blueish grey eyes stared up at him in confusion, but that spark he had seen when he first met her was still there.

"You're right, you don't match up to a princess." He said, watching her brows furrow and her mouth open to get angry at him. But he interrupted her.

"You're far more beautiful than any princess could be." He said before closing the distance between them.

Shiori's mind slowed down as Madara's chapped lips came onto hers. Her eyes widened, her cheeks burning even more than before.

Madara was kissing her.

_Madara _was kissing _her._

It was a soft kiss, nothing forceful or at an uncomfortable angle. It was a straight forward action, and one that made her forget how to breathe. She felt him put a hand on her waist as if to help her lean into his touch. His body was solid against hers, but his lips felt like a gentle breeze against her lips.

It was only when he pulled away that she put together what happened.

Madara was smiling when he pulled away. His messy black hair brushed against her face as he leaned his forehead against hers. Shiori didn't even think Madara was capable of being this gentle with anyone, let alone her.

"_Definitely _a girl." He whispered.

Shiori's heart was beating the loudest she'd ever heard it. Of course she and Madara teased and flirted with each other, but she never thought… She didn't think that… that _this _would happen.

"How... " She finally found her voice, her eyes gazing into the dark orbs of his. "How long?"

"Since you saved my mother."

"But that was over two years ago!" She exclaimed, making the man in front of her scratch his head.

"W-Well… I've only realized it was that long ago recently… I couldn't tell if it was infatuation or me being grateful… But then you saved Kazuma, who was a total stranger and… I don't know. I began to truly care for you." He blushed, pulling away from the auburn hair girl.

"I knew you liked Hashirama, so I never really had the courage to say anything… I guess it was kind of selfish of me to just… do that when you're upset. But… I don't like seeing you cry or insult yourself." He admitted, making the girl's cheeks brighten more.

"I'm not good at this stuff," He sighed. "But… I want you to know you can trust me. You can cry around me. You can rely on me, Shiori. I know you're strong, you're one of the strongest women I know, but… I don't want you to feel like you have to hide your pain. So trust me, Shiori." He finished with his signature smile, making Shiori's heart leap into her throat.

"I…" She began, feeling herself lose all train of thought. "I need… I need time. I need space." She said, turning away and running off towards the Uchiha compound and leaving Madara alone on the trail.

oOo

Shiori shut herself in her room, sinking to the floor and hugging her knees to her chest. How did she get into this situation?

Her feelings for Hashirama were sure and stable, but now her view of Madara…

He had always been her best friend. Her brother. Someone she could laugh and joke with. Could she see him in the same position as Hashirama was to her?

No, this was wrong. This was the wrong way to think about things. Madara could never be what Hashirama was to her. Someone she blindly trusted without question. Someone she could blush over or try to look good for. Madara could never be that to her.

But the more she thought about it, the more she realized it was because she didn't blindly trust Madara. It had been him who taught her to trust in the first place. It was him she felt so comfortable around or accepted her for what she looked like or who she was. It was him who first let her cry in front of him before. It was Madara who had the courage to tell her her own weaknesses. The more she thought about it, the more she realized it was him.

But the hurt from Hashirama's words never left her. She still had feelings for him, and it was wrong of her to lead Madara on while she had those.

So she made her decision.

oOo

"She was nice. Funny and she liked my jokes. You were right, I just needed to be comfortable around her." Hashirama grinned, rubbing Shiori's head in a familiar way.

Shiori smiled, a pang of hurt hit her but she pushed it away.

"Where's Madara?"

"He's… in a meeting, I think." Shiori said, blushing at the mention of Madara.

"Oh. Well, it's been a while since we hung out, just the two of us, what do you wanna do?"

"A-actually, Hashirama, I have something to tell you."

Hashirama tilted his head, sitting criss cross in front of the girl. She took a deep breath and let it out.

"I-I've… I like you! I've liked you for years and I just… I know you're engaged, but I couldn't stand not telling you! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have… I know you don't see me as a girl, but I just wanted to tell you in order to help me get over you! So please reject me!" She shouted, bowing her head in shame so she wouldn't have to look at the Senju.

For a moment, Hashirama went quiet. Shiori held in her tears, bracing herself for him to reject her.

But instead, she was being hugged. Hashirama hugged the smaller girl, making her heart ache even more. She hiccuped, letting a couple tears fall down her cheek.

"Thank you for telling me, Shi-chan." Hashirama said softly, holding the girl close.

Shiori stifled a cry and then let it all pour out. She had no regrets in what she said. In fact, her chest felt twice as light now that she had confessed.

She didn't care if Hashirama liked her back anymore.

She just wanted to be friends like this forever.

oOo

When Shiori got back to the Uchiha compound, she went straight to Madara's room. She knocked and he opened the door.

"Shiori?" He said, groggily. It was obvious he had been sleeping. Which made sense, it was pretty late. She had stayed out talking to Hashirama for hours.

"I confessed to Hashirama." She said, noticing Madara's eyes widening in shock, but she wouldn't let him speak.

"I'm content with him and I being friends, so until I get over my feelings for him… Will you wait for me?" She asked, fidgeting with her hair like she always did.

Madara smiled at the girl, nodding his head and ruffling her hair.

"Don't keep me waiting too long, Stupid Shiori."


End file.
